Chicago Blues
by agentpippin
Summary: She was Chicago's blues darling. He was a talented musician, orphaned from birth. A freak accident throws them together and ensures lots of laughs for everyone, and maybe a bit of beer too!


Okay, my first attempt at writing Blues Brothers fanfiction. I luff them, so help me out with this!  
  
Hugs to Jas for Azzy's pickup lines. ;)  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, am just kidnapping them for a while. Mwahaha! I do own Azzy, however! Yaaay!  
  
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"Come on, Elwood, it's not that big a deal," Jake complained. "Just do it and get it over with."   
  
"No way, man," Elwood retorted. "I'm not doin' nothin'."  
  
Seventeen-year-old Jake leaned back against the Dumpster and sighed. Elwood could be damned stubborn when he wanted to be,   
and now was one of those times. "Come on, man, I need that cross." He glanced behind the Dumpster and lowered his voice, so   
that Elwood had to lean closer to hear him. "The Penguin'll kill me if I lose it. You're the only one who can get over the   
fence. Please? Do it for me?" he pleaded.  
  
Elwood seemed undecided, although it was hard to tell behind the dark sunglasses. "I dunno, man, I heard stories about kids   
who go over there and get beaten up good. Those people don't want nobody on their property." He glanced nervously at the   
dirty fence separating the orphanage - their place of residence - from the old buildings next door.   
  
"I heard the same stories you did," Jake snapped. "Nobody's gonna beat up an orphan. That's like kicking a sick puppy."   
  
"How the hell d'they know I'm an orphan, then?" Elwood demanded.  
  
"Well, maybe 'cause you came in over the fence from an orphanage? Look, the Penguin's either gonna kill me for sure if I lose  
that cross, or she won't kill either of us if she don't know what happened. So just jump over, grab it, and get back."  
  
"Damn it, Jake, if we get in trouble for this shit, it was all your idea. Got it?" Elwood hissed as he made up his mind and   
started to clamber up the old wooden fence.   
  
"No problem, man," Jake called softly. "My idea."  
  
He watched intently as Elwood found his footing and made his way to the top. He leaned over the fence and searched the ground  
for the ornate metal cross Jake had lost, supplied by the Penguin - Sister Mary Stigmata - for Mass at the church. She   
insisted on keeping it close to them, as a reminder of Christ's love for them, Elwood supposed. On this particular occasion,  
Jake and Elwood had been playing catch with it when one of Elwood's tosses went awry and flew over the fence. So now here he   
was, dangling over the top of the fence, trying to find the damn thing.   
  
"Do you see it?" Jake called up.  
  
"Nope," Elwood mouthed back. He continued scouring the ground until he saw a glint of metal - there! Underneath a thorn bush.  
Great. He swung one long leg over the fence and prepared to drop down.   
  
A flash of movement out of the corner of his eye distracted Elwood, and he lost his balance, tumbling off the fence and   
crashing into the moving blur. He barely had time to register a dark blue jacket before he found himself sprawled on top of   
something warm.   
  
"Ow," someone said. Elwood tried to pinpoint the noise, then realized it was coming from around his stomach. He craned his   
neck and spotted a head of curled brown hair pushed into his chest. Shit, he thought frantically. Penguin's gonna kill me.   
  
"Elwood?" Jake's voice, coming from a knothole at the base of the fence. "What the hell happened?"   
  
"Uh..." Elwood was still trying to orient himself. He rolled off of whoever it was and sat up quickly, brushing his hair out   
of his eyes. A girl, wearing the blue jacket and dark blue pants, turned over onto her front and buried her head in her arms.  
  
"Are you okay?" Elwood asked nervously, scrambling to his feet and approaching the girl.   
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," came the muffled reply.   
  
"Oh." Elwood considered this. "You sure?"  
  
"Yup." She paused, then added, "I'm taking a nap here."  
  
"A nap?" Elwood was confused.  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Uh, why?" he asked cautiously.   
  
"Cause it's comfy," she replied, not budging.  
  
"Oh. Okay." He crouched down next to her and poked her shoulder. "You're positive you're okay?"  
  
"Yup." She rolled over and regarded Elwood solemnly. The boy felt a slight twinge as he saw her dark glasses and realized at   
the same time that he had lost his own in the fall. He looked around and spotted them lying a few feet away.   
  
"You have nice eyes," the girl declared before Elwood could make a move for his sunglasses. She grinned. "Gotcha."   
  
Elwood was taken aback. He decided to play along with this weird girl. "You have nice sunglasses," he replied.   
  
"Thank you." She sat up and jumped to her feet, extending her hand to Elwood. "So why are you waiting on top of a fence to   
jump on passersby?" she asked, hauling him to his feet.   
  
"I wasn't, actually," he said sheepishly, "I was looking for- there it is," he exclaimed, hurrying over to the thorn bush and  
reaching gingerly into it. "Owww," he grimaced, but pulling out the small silver cross. "Jake!" he hollered. "I'm tossing it  
over!"   
  
"'kay," Jake yelled back. Elwood hurled it over the tall fence, and heard the small 'thud' it made as it hit the hard dirt.   
  
"Got it!" Jake called. "Come back now!"  
  
"Gotta go," Elwood said hurriedly. He turned to attempt the climb back up and saw something lying on the ground. "Hey, that   
your record?" he asked, pausing.  
  
"Yeah," she said, crouching to pick up the record. Elwood caught a glimpse of the title. "The Best of the Blues?"  
  
"I love R&B," she grinned. "You?"  
  
Elwood was floored. "I- I play R&B," he admitted, "or at least I aim to."   
  
The girl looked immediately interested. "What's your name?"  
  
"Elwood Blues," he said, sticking out his hand. She caught it and held it for a second. "You?" he asked.   
  
"Azzy Bryant," she told him. Elwood frowned slightly. "Azzy's a nickname," she added, seeing the look on his face. "It's   
actually Azura." She smiled. "'Blue' in Spanish."  
  
Elwood snorted. Azzy laughed, letting go of his hand. "So you aim to play the blues?"   
  
"Yeah," he said. Azzy watched as he took a deep breath and began singing softly.   
  
"All my life I had to struggle, I paid some heavy dues  
Squeakin' out a livin', playin' easy blues  
Then one day my music made me a millionaire..."  
  
He broke off and shrugged. "I play the harmonica too."  
  
"Cool," Azzy murmured thoughtfully.   
  
"What?" Elwood asked. Azzy looked up. "I was just thinking."  
  
"Thinking what?" he probed.   
  
Azzy opened her mouth but was interrupted by the clang of a metal door and the simultaneous outburst of shouting from the   
buildings next to them.  
  
"Shit," Elwood cursed, whirling around and trying to find a handhold in the fence. Azzy looked the fence over frantically.   
  
All of a sudden, Jake's head popped over the top of the fence. "Dammit!" he muttered. "Grab my hand!"  
  
Elwood did so, catching Azzy's wrist and hauling her up with him as his feet scrambled for a hold. She helped him where she   
could, clutching her record at the same time.   
  
Like that, all three ended up in the dirt - on the orphanage's side of the fence.   
  
Azzy was the first one to sit up. "So," she said slowly, "I'm assuming you weren't actually allowed over the fence?"   
  
Elwood shook his head mutely.   
  
Jake grumbled under his breath. All Elwood could make out was 'never again' and 'fucking worthless thing'.  
  
"Uh, Jake, this is Azzy Bryant," Elwood said, motioning to the skeptical brunette.  
  
"Nice to meet ya," Jake said, casting a glance at Elwood. His brother just shrugged apologetically and climbed to his feet.   
"We'd better go in - if you want you can go in and make like you're praying - the Penguin'd love that."   
  
Azzy raised an eyebrow. Elwood waved her towards the tiny cathedral. "Go on, we'll see you in there tonight at 7," he said   
hurriedly, as the Penguin appeared in the orphanage door. "That's in about an hour and a half, so stay there, okay? Sorry   
about this," he added, sounding sincerely remorseful. "See you."  
  
"Bye," Azzy called over her shoulder as she slipped into the church.   
  
"Damn it, Elwood, now *this* was not my fault," Jake muttered as the two entered the orphanage building.   
  
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Bwahaha! Don't know where I'll go with this one, only your reviews will determine it! So click on that there button and   
REVIEEEEW! :D 


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